The present invention relates to aquariums and tanks for holding water, and particularly to an improved type of such tank suitable for use as a fish tank.
Heretofore, aquariums and fish tanks have generally been made of a planar see-through material like panes of glass.
A problem with the use of glass panes is their lack of flexibility, and hence inherent breakability, particularly in the case of glass panes of large area. As a consequence, in order to construct tanks of increased depth and size, it has generally been necessary to substantially increase the thickness of the glass panes used. This is due to the fact that the pressure exerted by the water in the tank increases in direct proportion to its depth, that is to say, the pressure exerted by water at a two foot depth in a tank is double the pressure exerted at one foot depth therein.
The need to increase the thickness of the glass panes used in such tanks as their depths are increased has several drawbacks and disadvantages. Firstly, there is a significant increase in tank cost, a pane of 1/2" glass being, for example, much more expensive than a similarly sized 1/4" thick pane of glass. Further, the weight, and hence mobility, of such tanks is significantly affected by such need to use thicker glass panes.